Polites rhesus

Polites rhesus, the Rhesus skipper or plains gray skipper,[1] is a butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in North America from Texas to North Dakota, as far north, but infrequently, as Saskatchewan and Alberta.[2]

Rhesus skipper
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Hesperiidae
Genus:
Polites
Species:
P. rhesus
Binomial name
Polites rhesus
(W.H. Edwards, 1876)
Synonyms
  • Pamphila rhesus Edwards, 1878
  • Hesperia axius Plötz, 1883
  • Chaerephon rhesus Godman & Salvin, [1900]
  • Erynnis rhesus Dyar, 1903, Bull. U.S. natn. Mus., 52: 50
  • Yvretta rhesus

The wingspan is 25–30 mm.[2]

There is one generation in May and June.[2] Its habitats include short-grass and mixed grass prairie.[3]

The larvae feed on grasses, including blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis).[2] Adults feed on nectar from flowers including Drummond's milkvetch (Astragalus drummondii).[3]

References
  1. Polites, funet.fi
  2. Rhesus Skipper, Butterflies of Canada
  3. "Polites rhesus". explorer.natureserve.org.


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